Tissue papermaking is a complex process where specific control over product quality attributes is critical. Arguably, the most critical pieces of equipment used to control these quality attributes are the fabrics utilized on the papermaking machines. The various papermaking machine technologies are conventional dry crepe, through air drying (TAD), or hybrid technologies such as Metso's NTT, Georgia Pacific's ETAD, or Voith's ATMOS process. All these technologies utilize fabrics at various stages in the process to influence tissue web properties and overall asset productivity.
The predominant manufacturing method for making a tissue web is the conventional dry crepe process. The major steps of the conventional dry crepe process involve stock preparation, forming, pressing, drying, creping, calendering (optional), and reeling the web.
The first step of stock preparation involves selection, blending, mixing, and preparation of the proper ratio of wood, plant, or synthetic fibers along with chemistry and fillers that are needed in the specific tissue grade. This mixture is diluted to over 99% water in order to allow for even fiber formation when deposited from the machine headbox into the forming section. There are many types of forming sections used in conventional papermaking (inclined suction breast roll, twin wire C-wrap, twin wire S-wrap, suction forming roll, and Crescent formers) but all are designed to retain the fiber, chemical, and filler recipe while allowing the water to drain from the web. In order to accomplish this, fabrics are utilized.
Forming fabrics are woven structures that utilize monofilaments (yarns, threads) composed of synthetic polymers (usually polyethylene, polypropylene, or nylon). The forming fabric has two surfaces: the sheet side and the machine or wear side. The wear side is in contact with the elements that support and move the fabric and are thus prone to wear. To increase wear resistance and improve drainage, the wear side of the fabric has larger diameter monofilaments compared to the sheet side. The sheet side has finer yarns to promote fiber and filler retention on the fabric surface.
In order to control other properties such as: fabric stability, life potential, drainage, fiber support, and clean-ability, different weave patterns are utilized. Generally, forming fabrics are classified by the number of layers utilized in their construction. There are three basic styles of forming fabrics: single layer, double layer, and triple layer. A single layer fabric is composed of one CD (shute) and one MD (warp) yarn system. The main problem of single layer fabrics is lack of dimensional stability. The double layer forming fabric has one layer of warp yarns and two layers of shute yarns. This multilayer fabric is generally more stable and resistant to stretching. Triple layer fabrics have two separate single layer fabrics bound together by separated yarns called binders. Usually the binder fibers are placed in cross direction but also can be oriented in the machine direction. Triple layer fabrics have further increased dimensional stability, wear potential, drainage, and fiber support as compared to single or double layer fabrics.
The conventional manufacturing of forming fabrics includes the following operations: weaving, initial heat setting, seaming, final heat setting, and finishing. The fabric is made in a loom using two interlacing sets of monofilaments (or threads or yarns). The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the transverse called shute threads. After weaving, the forming fabric is heated to relieve internal stresses to enhance dimensional stability of the fabric. The next step in manufacturing is seaming. This step converts the flat woven fabric into an endless forming fabric by joining the two MD ends of the fabric. After seaming, the final heat setting is applied to stabilize and relieve the stresses in the seam area. The final step in the manufacturing process is finishing, where the fabric is cut to width and sealed.
There are several parameters and tools used to characterize the properties of the forming fabric: mesh and count, caliper, frames, plane difference, open area, air permeability, void volume and distribution, running attitude, fiber support, drainage index, and stacking. None of these parameters can be used individually to precisely predict the performance of a forming fabric on a paper machine, but together the expected performance and sheet properties can be estimated.
After web formation and drainage (to around 35% solids) in the forming section (assisted by centripetal force around the forming roll, and vacuum boxes in several former types), the web is transferred to a press fabric upon which the web is pressed between a rubber or polyurethane covered suction pressure roll and Yankee dryer. The press fabric is permeable fabric designed to uptake water from the web as it is pressed in the press section. It is composed of large monofilaments or multi-filamentous yarns, needled with fine synthetic batt fibers to form a smooth surface for even web pressing against the Yankee dryer.
After pressing the sheet, between a suction pressure roll and a steam heated cylinder (referred to as a Yankee dryer), the web is dried from up to 50% solids to up to 99% solids using the steam heated cylinder and hot air impingement from an air system (air cap or hood) installed over the steam cylinder. The sheet is then creped from the steam cylinder using a steel or ceramic doctor blade. This is a critical step in the conventional dry crepe process. The creping process greatly affects softness as the surface topography is dominated by the number and coarseness of the crepe bars (finer crepe is much smoother than coarse crepe). Some thickness and flexibility is also generated during the creping process. If the process is a wet crepe process, the web must be conveyed between dryer fabrics through steam heated after-dryer cans to dry the web to the required finished moisture content. After creping, the web is optionally calendered and reeled into a parent roll and ready for the converting process.
The through air dried (TAD) process is another manufacturing method for making a tissue web. The major steps of the through air dried process are stock preparation, forming, imprinting, thermal pre-drying, drying, creping, calendering (optional), and reeling the web. The stock preparation and forming steps are similar to conventional dry creping.
Rather than pressing and compacting the web, as is performed in conventional dry crepe, the web undergoes the steps of imprinting and thermal pre-drying. Imprinting is a step in the process where the web is transferred from a forming fabric to a structured fabric (or imprinting fabric) and subsequently pulled into the structured fabric using vacuum (referred to as imprinting or molding). This step imprints the weave pattern (or knuckle pattern) of the structured fabric into the web. This imprinting step has a tremendous effect on the softness of the web, both affecting smoothness and the bulk structure. The design parameters of the structured fabric (weave pattern, mesh, count, warp and weft monofilament diameters, caliper, air permeability, and optional over-laid polymer) are; therefore, critical to the development of web softness. The manufacturing method of an imprinting fabric is similar to a forming fabric, expect for the addition of an overlaid polymer. These type of fabrics are disclosed in patents such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,679,222; 4,514,345; 5,334,289; 4,528,239; and 4,637,859, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Essentially, fabrics produced using these methods result in a fabric with a patterned resin applied over a woven substrate. The benefit is that resulting patterns are not limited by a woven structure and can be created in any desired shape to enable a higher level of control of the web structure and topography that dictate web quality properties.
After imprinting, the web is thermally pre-dried by moving hot air through the web while it is conveyed on the structured fabric. Thermal pre-drying can be used to dry the web to over 90% solids before it is transferred to a steam heated cylinder. The web is then transferred from the structured fabric to the steam heated cylinder though a very low intensity nip (up to 10 times less than a conventional press nip) between a solid pressure roll and the steam heated cylinder. The only portions of the web that are pressed between the pressure roll and steam cylinder rest on knuckles of the structured fabric; thereby, protecting most of the web from the light compaction that occurs in this nip. The steam cylinder and an optional air cap system, for impinging hot air, then dry the sheet to up to 99% solids during the drying stage before creping occurs. The creping step of the process again only affects the knuckle sections of the web that are in contact with the steam cylinder surface. Due to only the knuckles of the web being creped, along with the dominant surface topography being generated by the structured fabric, and the higher thickness of the TAD web, the creping process has much smaller effect on overall softness as compared to conventional dry crepe. After creping, the web is optionally calendered and reeled into a parent roll and ready for the converting process. Some TAD machines utilize fabrics (similar to dryer fabrics) to support the sheet from the crepe blade to the reel drum to aid in sheet stability and productivity. Patents which describe creped through air dried products include U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,994,771; 4,102,737; 4,529,480; and 5,510,002.
A variation of the TAD process where the sheet is not creped, but rather dried to up to 99% using thermal drying and blown off the structured fabric (using air) to be optionally calendered and reeled also exits. This process is called UCTAD or un-creped through air drying process. U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,551 describes an uncreped through air dried product.
A new process/method and paper machine system for producing tissue has been developed by the Voith GmbH (Heidenheim, Germany) and is being marketed under the name ATMOS. This process/method and paper machine system has several patented variations, but all involve the use of a structured fabric in conjunction with a belt press. The major steps of the ATMOS process and its variations are stock preparation, forming, imprinting, pressing (using a belt press), creping, calendering (optional), and reeling the web.
The stock preparation step is the same as a conventional or TAD machine would utilize. The purpose is to prepare the proper recipe of fibers, chemical polymers, and additives that are necessary for the grade of tissue being produced, and diluting this slurry to allow for proper web formation when deposited out of the machine headbox (single, double, or triple layered) to the forming surface. The forming process can utilize a twin wire former (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,744,726) a Crescent Former with a suction Forming Roll (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,821,391), or preferably a Crescent Former (as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,706). The preferred former is provided a slurry from the headbox to a nip formed by a structured fabric (inner position/in contact with the forming roll) and forming fabric (outer position). The fibers from the slurry are predominately collected in the valleys (or pockets, pillows) of the structured fabric and the web is dewatered through the forming fabric. This method for forming the web results in a unique bulk structure and surface topography as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,706 (FIG. 1 through FIG. 11). The fabrics separate after the forming roll with the web staying in contact with the structured fabric. At this stage, the web is already imprinted by the structured fabric, but utilization of a vacuum box on the inside of the structured fabric can facilitate further fiber penetration into the structured fabric and a deeper imprint.
The web is now transported on the structured fabric to a belt press. The belt press can have multiple configurations. The first patented belt press configurations used in conjunction with a structured fabric is U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,307 (FIG. 13), where the web is pressed against a dewatering fabric across a vacuum roll by an extended nip belt press. The press dewaters the web while protecting the areas of the sheet within the structured fabric valleys from compaction. Moisture is pressed out of the web, through the dewatering fabric, and into the vacuum roll. The press belt is permeable and allows for air to pass through the belt, web, and dewatering fabric, into the vacuum roll enhancing the moisture removal. Since both the belt and dewatering fabric are permeable, a hot air hood can be placed inside of the belt press to further enhance moisture removal as shown in FIG. 14 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,351,307. Alternately, the belt press can have a pressing device arranged within the belt which includes several press shoes, with individual actuators to control cross direction moisture profile, (see FIG. 28 in U.S. Pat. No. 7,951,269 or 8,118,979 or FIG. 20 of U.S. Pat. No. 8,440,055) or a press roll (see FIG. 29 in U.S. Pat. No. 7,951,269 or 8,118,979 or FIG. 21 of U.S. Pat. No. 8,440,055). The preferred arrangement of the belt press has the web pressed against a permeable dewatering fabric across a vacuum roll by a permeable extended nip belt press. Inside the belt press is a hot air hood that includes a steam shower to enhance moisture removal. The hot air hood apparatus over the belt press can be made more energy efficient by reusing a portion of heated exhaust air from the Yankee air cap or recirculating a portion of the exhaust air from the hot air apparatus itself (see U.S. Pat. No. 8,196,314). Further embodiments of the drying system composed of the hot air apparatus and steam shower in the belt press section are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,402,673, 8,435,384 and 8,544,184.
After the belt press is a second press to nip the web between the structured fabric and dewatering felt by one hard and one soft roll. The press roll under the dewatering fabric can be supplied with vacuum to further assist water removal. This preferred belt press arrangement is described in U.S. Pat. No. 8,382,956, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,580,083, with FIG. 1 showing the arrangement. Rather than sending the web through a second press after the belt press, the web can travel through a boost dryer (FIG. 15 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,706 or 7,351,307), a high pressure through air dryer (FIG. 16 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,706 or 7,351,307), a two pass high pressure through air dryer (FIG. 17 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,706 or 7,351,307) or a vacuum box with hot air supply hood (FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 7,476,293). U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,510,631, 7,686,923, 7,931,781 8,075,739, and 8,092,652 further describe methods and systems for using a belt press and structured fabric to make tissue products each having variations in fabric designs, nip pressures, dwell times, etc. and are mentioned here for reference. A wire turning roll can also be utilized with vacuum before the sheet is transferred to a steam heated cylinder via a pressure roll nip (see FIG. 2a of U.S. Pat. No. 7,476,293).
The sheet is now transferred to a steam heated cylinder via a press element. The press element can be a through drilled (bored) pressure roll (FIG. 8 of U.S. Pat. No. 8,303,773), a through drilled (bored) and blind drilled (blind bored) pressure roll (FIG. 9 of U.S. Pat. No. 8,303,773), or a shoe press (U.S. Pat. No. 7,905,989). After the web leaves this press element to the steam heated cylinder, the % solids are in the range of 40-50%. The steam heated cylinder is coated with chemistry to aid in sticking the sheet to the cylinder at the press element nip and also aid in removal of the sheet at the doctor blade. The sheet is dried to up to 99% solids by the steam heated cylinder and installed hot air impingement hood over the cylinder. This drying process, the coating of the cylinder with chemistry, and the removal of the web with doctoring is explained in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,582,187 and 7,905,989. The doctoring of the sheet off the Yankee, creping, is similar to that of TAD with only the knuckle sections of the web being creped. Thus the dominant surface topography is generated by the structured fabric, with the creping process having a much smaller effect on overall softness as compared to conventional dry crepe.
The web is now calendered (optional,) slit, and reeled and ready for the converting process.
The ATMOS manufacturing technique is often described as a hybrid technology because it utilizes a structured fabric like the TAD process, but also utilizes energy efficient means to dewater the sheet like the Conventional Dry Crepe process. Other manufacturing techniques which employ the use of a structured fabric along with an energy efficient dewatering process are the ETAD process and NTT process. The ETAD process and products can be viewed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,339,378, 7,442,278, and 7,494,563. This process can utilize any type of former such as a Twin Wire Former or Crescent Former. After formation and initial drainage in the forming section, the web is transferred to a press fabric where it is conveyed across a suction vacuum roll for water removal, increasing web solids up to 25%. Then the web travels into a nip formed by a shoe press and backing/transfer roll for further water removal, increasing web solids up to 50%. At this nip, the web is transferred onto the transfer roll and then onto a structured fabric via a nip formed by the transfer roll and a creping roll. At this transfer point, speed differential can be utilized to facilitate fiber penetration into the structured fabric and build web caliper. The web then travels across a molding box to further enhance fiber penetration if needed. The web is then transferred to a Yankee dryer where it can be optionally dried with a hot air impingement hood, creped, calendared, and reeled. The NTT process and products can be viewed in international patent application publication WO 2009/061079 A1. The process has several embodiments, but the key step is the pressing of the web in a nip formed between a structured fabric and press felt. The web contacting surface of the structured fabric is a non-woven material with a three dimensional structured surface comprised of elevations and depressions of a predetermined size and depth. As the web is passed through this nip, the web is formed into the depression of the structured fabric since the press fabric is flexible and will reach down into all of the depressions during the pressing process. When the felt reaches the bottom of the depression, hydraulic force is built up which forces water from the web and into the press felt. To limit compaction of the web, the press rolls will have a long nip width which can be accomplished if one of the rolls is a shoe press. After pressing, the web travels with the structured fabric to a nip with the Yankee dryer, where the sheet is optionally dried with a hot air impingement hood, creped, calendared, and reeled.
As shown in the aforementioned discussion of tissue papermaking technologies, the fabrics utilized are critical in development of the tissue web's structure and topography which are instrumental in the quality characteristics of the web such as softness (bulk softness and surfaces smoothness) and strength (tensile). The manufacturing process for making these fabrics has been limited to weaving a fabric (primarily forming fabrics and imprinting/structured fabrics) or a base structure upon which synthetic fibers are needled (press fabrics) or overlaid with a polymeric resin (overlaid imprinting/structured fabrics).